The mayor and law enforcement officials in Lansing, Michigan are apologising to the family of a 12-year-old Black boy who was wrongfully arrested as a suspected car thief. Viral footage of the boy’s arrest on 10 August while he was taking out the trash from his home shows a white officer leading the boy through a parking lot with his hands cuffed behind his back. A lawyer representing the family told the Associated Press that the boy was initially approached by an officer with an unholstered gun “and was holding it in front of him”. The footage shows a man identified as the boy’s father, Michael Bernard, approaching the officer as the boy is brought to a patrol car and placed in the rear seat. Roughly three minutes into the video, officers remove the cuffs and walk him towards his father. “They trauamtised my son,” Mr Bernard can be heard saying in the video. The first of a series of statements issued by the Lansing Police Department called the incident an “unfortunate misunderstanding”. A second statement said the boy was released to his father “when eliminated as the accused.” Officials said that the boy was wearing the same clothes as a suspect in a vehicle theft investigation. “It’s unfortunate that incidents like this occur but through communication and sharing of information, we can help people understand the whole story. We understand that something like this has an impact on all parties involved,” Lansing police chief Ellery Sosobee said in the statement. “As the Chief of Police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family,” he added. “I’m asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment.” A statement from Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said police “made a mistake in detaining the wrong person during a vehicle theft investigation.” “I join Chief Sosebee in offering my apologies to the young man and to his family,” he added. Police remain “in contact” with the boy’s family and are “providing resources and support for any trauma” as a result of the incident, according to the mayor’s office. “Our officers do their absolute best to protect Lansing, but in this case a mistake was made and we own it and apologise to those affected,” he said. “As mayor, I once again offer my sincere apology to this young man.” Lawyers for the boy’s family are “exploring all legal options” including a potential lawsuit, attorneys Ayanna and Rico Neal said during a virtual press conference. The incident comes as the Detroit Police Department faces heightened scrutiny after a series of wrongful arrests of Black residents who were incorrectly targeted by facial recognition technology. Read More A Black woman says she was wrongly arrested at eight months pregnant. She’s suing over ‘mistaken’ face ID tech

Decade after releasing her third book, 'The Big, Fun, Sexy Sex Book,' Lisa Rinna is all set to debut her fourth publication

More than 1,350 Ukrainians have found a home in Lincolnshire since the Russian invasion.

Explore Madison Beer's neutral paradise — her bedroom!

A tornado in North Carolina ripped the roof off of a Pfizer plant, damaged several other structures, shut down a major interstate and injured at least four people.

Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks told graduates of Harvard University to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth

A government audit has found that the U.S. agency charged with keeping the roads safe is slow to investigate automobile safety defects, limiting its ability to handle rapidly changing or severe risks

John Meehan reportedly had a questionable childhood and was taught a number of petty crimes by his father

Shohei Ohtani was batting second as the designated hitter for the Angels against the New York Mets on Friday night in the first game after Los Angeles said the two-way star had torn an elbow ligament

'We were all abused. I hate this. She tried to poison and kill my wife,' said Michael Barnett

By Alexandra Ulmer Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis' biggest donor, is switching his support

In the Netflix special, Wanda Sykes is seen imitating her wife, Alex, in a faux French accent, always pretending to have a cigarette in her hand